Buran model delivered to Baikonur - .
Nation: Russia.
Spacecraft: Buran.
The EUK13 dimensional model of the launch vehicle was delivered to Baikonur for handling demonstrations and production of tooling..

ril A transmitter and a receiver for a laser communications system were ground tested at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. - .
This was the second of three rounds of ground testing that was to take place. The ground testing was to pave the way for flight-testing of the equipment, and ultimately for development of a space-based laser communications system..

Stanford Telecommunications, Incorporated, was awarded a contract to study the utility of a Satellite Control and Data Relay System. - .
Spacecraft: TDRSS.
The system would use a space-based network to track and control satellites and relay data to ground stations in the continental U.S..

DSCS II satellites 9441 and 9442 completed testing and were turned over to the Defense Communications Agency. This brougth the DSCS II space segment up to full strength - four operational satellites. - .
Spacecraft: DSCS II.

Continued operation of the long-range telephone and telegraph radio-communication system within the Soviet Union and transmission of USSR central television programmes to stations in the Orbita and participating international networks (international cooperation scheme).

The Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $3.8 million contract to Morrison-Knudsen, Inc. - .
It was for site preparation at the space shuttle launch facility, Vandenberg AFB. Site preparation was the first phase of a three-phase construction effort at the launch facility. Ground-breaking took place on 24 January..

STREP-1, an ABRES flight test conducted in support of the Army's System Technology Reentry Experiments Program, was launched on a Minuteman I booster from Vandenberg AFB to Kwajalein missile range. - .
Related Persons: ABRES.
The primary mission was successful, but a secondary payload, the advanced Star decoy sponsored by ABRES, deployed improperly because of improper loading, and data on its performance could not be collected..

Obtaining information needed for research into the natural resources of the earth and the development of methods for remote sensing of the underlying surface, and obtaining meteorological information. In addition to Soviet apparatus, carried scientific ap paratus from the German Democratic Republic.

A probe was launched from the White Sands Missile Range to take background measurements needed for development of a space-based space surveillance system. - .
The probe's radiometer failed to deploy, and its parachute malfunctioned as it was returning to earth. As a result, no data was gathered, and the payload was severely damaged..

Flight P78-2 was successfully launched by SAMSO's Space Test Program. The mission was designated SCATHA (Spacecraft Charging at High Altitudes) and gathered data on the build-up of electrical charges on satellites operating at geosynchronous altitude. It was sponsored jointly by NASA and the Air Force. Spacecraft charging experiments. The SCATHA spacecraft had two charged particle injection systems, one of which was the Satellite Positive-Ion-Beam System (SPIBS). This was a xenon ion source which included some of the technologies used in thrusters: however, the discharge chamber was not performance optimized as was done with ion engines. Maximum operating power was 0.045 kW, and the ion source could produce a thrust of about 0.14 mN at a specific impulse of 350 s. Ions could be ejected at 1 keV or 2 keV. Neutralization was accomplished by a tantalum filament. The specific impulse was low because there was no attempt to optimize the propellant efficiency. The SPIBS system was ground-tested for a period of 600 hours. The SCATHA spacecraft was placed in a near geosynchronous orbit. Ion beam operations were performed intermittently over a 247 day period. The SCATHA flight demonstrated that a charged spacecraft, and the dielectric surfaces on it, could be safely discharged by emitting a very low energy (<50 eV) neutral plasma -- in effect shorting the spacecraft to the ambient plasma before dangerous charging levels could be reached. As of 28 August 2001 located at 153.98 deg W drifting at 4.513 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 8 located at 19.65W drifting at 4.513E degrees per day.

Following the decision to cancel Chelomei's manned Almaz military space station programme, a resolution consolidated the programs, with the Mir docking ports to be reinforced to accommodate 20 tonne space station modules based on Chelomei's TKS manned ferry spacecraft. NPO Energia was made responsible for the overall space station, but subcontracted the work to KB Salyut due to the press of in-house work on Energia, Salyut 7, Soyuz-T, and Progress. The subcontractor began work in the summer of 1979.

Death of Robert B Young - .
Nation: USA.
Related Persons: Young, Robert.
American engineer. Key manager at Aerojet, working there from the 1940's, responsible for the rocket engines for the Titan, the Apollo SPS, and Shuttle OMS..

SAMSO felt that the design presented at this Review was not really complete, and it directed the contractor, Boeing, to do further work in the areas of software, rocket motors, and interface with the space shuttle and the Satellite Control Facility. Boeing was to present the results of its efforts at a follow-on design review to be held later in the year.

HQ USAF stretched out the schedule for construction of space shuttle launch facilities at Vandenberg AFB, and it changed the Initial Operational Capability date for those facilities from mid-1983. - .
The extra time was needed because NASA was adding strap-on solid rocket motors to the shuttle to augment its performance, and the launch facilities had to be modified to accommodate those motors..

Transmission of color and black-and-white USSR central television programmes to a network of receivers for collective use. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Indian Ocean at 99 deg E in 1979-1981 As of 3 September 2001 located at 51.81 deg E drifting at 0.088 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 98.64E drifting at 0.060E degrees per day.

Atlas booster 27F successfully launched Space Test Program Flight P78-1 from Space Launch Complex 3W, Vandenberg AFB, California. The primary payload on the spacecraft was a gamma spectrometer sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Ionosphere and magnetosphere studies; destroyed on 13 September 1985 (while still functioning) as part of an American ASAT test.

Final shuttle tests at NASA Huntsville - .
Nation: USA.
These verified loadings on the full mated shuttle stack with the external tank and solid rocket motors loaded with water to simulate the weights at various flight phases. 36 x 670 N and 20 x 4400 N exciters were used to vibrate the vehicle..

Comprehensive investigations of the structure of the earth's ionosphere, the characteristics of wave processes and the propagation of radio waves in the ionospheric plasma. Launched under the Intercosmos programme by the USSR in cooperation with the Peopl e's Republic of Bulgaria, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Hungarian People's Republic and the Polish People's Republic. Additional Details: here....

Spacetac, Inc., one of Rockwell's major subcontractors for the Teal Ruby program, went bankrupt. The bankruptcy contributed to a further delay in the projected launch date. - .
Spacecraft: Teal Ruby (P80-1, AFP-888).

Program Management Directive 0-02047(30) advised of an OSD-approved budget for the Minuteman airborne launch control system (ALCS) which was far below SAMSO's estimated minimum funding requirements. - .

The large rocket motor for the Inertial Upper Stage was test fired at the Arnold Engineering Development Center. - .
The firing lasted 145 seconds and generated more than 50,000 pounds of thrust. This was the first development test firing of the large motor, and it was entirely successful..

SAMSO awarded the Harris Corporation a $10.3 million contract to develop a Satellite Data Handling System for the DMSP program. - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.
The system would be installed at the Air Force Global Weather Central at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, and would allow forecasters to analyze and distribute weather data obtained from DMSP satellites..

NASA brought space shuttle orbiter 102 from Edwards AFB, California, to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Orbiter 102 would be the first orbiter to go into space, and Cape Canaveral would be the launch site. - .

SAMSO awarded IBM a $4.9 million contract to provide the Simplified Processing Station with the capability to receive health and status data as well as mission data from the DSP satellites. - .
Spacecraft: DSP.

Missile X DSARC IIB met to consider studies of alternative Missile X configurations and basing modes, particularly the airmobile option developed by SAMSO at the direction of DSARC II in December 1978 - .

Intercosmos Cosmonaut Training Group selected. - .
Nation: Vietnam.
Related Persons: Liem,
Tuan.
Training group of potential Vietnamese 'guest cosmonauts' for propaganda flights to the Salyut space station. The 'guests', from states allied to the Soviet Union, would be flown on Soyuz lifeboat changeout missions to the station..

The decision was taken not to convert the Enterprise to a flight orbiter due to the numerous structural design changes made since its construction. Static test article OV-099 would be used for that instead. So Enterprise became a pathfinder vehicle at Cape Canaveral to verify fit and handling of ground facilities in the Vertical Assembly Building and LC39.

On 20 April 1979 LVI-4 VA (VA s/n 103 and s/n 008) was awaiting launch. The booster ignited, but then shut down on the pad. This triggered the launch escape system, which pulled the top capsule away from the booster. The parachute system failed and the capsule crashed to the ground. The lower capsule remained in the rocket. The top capsule was to have been manned, but the inability to demonstrate two consecutive failure-free launches of the Proton/TKS-VA combination made that (luckily) impossible.

SAMSO awarded $200,000 contracts to five companies - RCA, GE, Rockwell International, Lockheed, and Hughes - to do conceptual studies on a DMSP Block 6 satellite. - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.
The studies were finished in September, but by that time there were indications that the White House might disapprove the development of Block Six and order development of a shuttle-compatible Block 5D instead..

Provision of uninterrupted round the clock telephone and telegraph radiocommunication in the USSR and simultaneous transmission of colour and black-and-white USSR central television programmes to stations in the Orbita network. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 85 deg E in 1979-1982 As of 29 August 2001 located at 84.16 deg E drifting at 0.043 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 65.45E drifting at 0.034E degrees per day.

The SIRE payload was to have been launched on flight P80-2 and was to have measured the long wave infrared signatures of space objects against the stellar background. SAMSO began to develop a program to fly the SIRE sensor on space shuttle sortie missions around the mid-1980s.

SAMSO's Deputy for ICBMs created a Multiple Protective Structure Deployment Area Selection Working group to coordinate site selection and land acquisition for deployment of Missile X. - .

1979 May - .

NATO's Infrastructure Committee held a series of meetings to decide who would manage acquisition of the NATO IV spacecraft. The committee passed up SAMSO and opted for the United Kingdom's RAE. - .
Spacecraft Bus: ECS-Bus.
Spacecraft: NATO 4A, 4B.

The second FLTSATCOM satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on board an Atlas/Centaur booster. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Launch vehicle put payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 23 deg W in 1979-1980; 72 deg E in 1980-1992 As of 5 September 2001 located at 90.48 deg W drifting at 6.234 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 12.01W drifting at 6.223W degrees per day.

DSCS II satellite 9437 lost its #2 narrow coverage high level travelling wave tube amplifier (TWTA). - .
Spacecraft: DSCS II.
Since the #1 narrow coverage high level TWTA had already failed, the satellite became unable to provide narrow coverage communications support and had to be placed in on-orbit storage..

The Proton launch vehicle that shut down on the original LVI-4 launch attempt was undamaged, and just a month later, with a switch of payload, LVI-4 was orbited as Cosmos 1100 and 1101. The pair launched were the 102P/102L twins from LVI-3. One capsule failed when the automatic system suffered an electrical distribution failure and it did not land correctly, spending two orbits in space, while the other landed as planned after one orbit. The launch again successfully demonstrated the reusability of the VA capsule. Plans to launch the upper capsule manned were scrubbed due to the inability to get two consecutive failure-free launches of the Proton/TKS-VA.

Zenit-2M area survey photo reconnaissance satellite used for earth resources studies as part of 'Gektor-Priroda' project. Nauka subsatellite 32KS jettisoned into independent orbit in the course of the mission. Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

ET used for ground vibration to be refurbished. - .
Nation: USA.
Program: STS.
Deliver ET used in mated vertical ground vibration test from MSFC to Martin Marietta for refurbishment.

1979 May 31 - .

Avco received a contract for an Instrumented Test Vehicle (ITV) that would be used in testing anti-satellite weapons. The basic contract was valued at $15.162 million. - .
Spacecraft Bus: SRAM.
Spacecraft: ASAT.

A procurement contract with Goodyear Aerospace Corporation for the Range Only Correlation System (ROCS), a candidate position-fixing system for the AMaRV, was initiated. - .
Spacecraft Bus: ABRES.
Spacecraft: AMaRV.

The Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council recommended that the Air Force be allowed to undertake full-scale development of the Global Positioning System. - .
Spacecraft: Navstar.
The Secretary of Defense implemented this recommendation in a memorandum dated 24 August. The same memorandum authorized the Air Force to integrate IONDS packages into the GPS satellites..

Docked with Salyut 6. Launched unmanned to provide return vehicle for Soyuz 32 crew of Lyakhov/Ryumin after Soyuz 33 primary propulsion system failure. Checked the operation of the spacecraft propulsion unit; transportated the crew of the Salyut-6 station back to earth.

Zenit-2M area survey photo reconnaissance satellite used for earth resources studies as part of 'Gektor-Priroda' project. Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

SAMSO awarded the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company a contract for two SGS-II upper stage vehicles, with an option for five more. The vehicles would be used with Atlas boosters to launch GPS. - .
Spacecraft: Navstar.

A successful technical acceptance demonstration (TAD) of the Mark 12A reentry system was held at Minot AFB, North Dakota with a newly installed Mark 12A trainer. - .

1979 July 1 - .

Installation of Mark IIA terminals for the DMSP Program was completed. The Mark IIA terminals had been created by reconfiguring and improving the Mark I and II transportable terminals. - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.

Major Shuttle SSME failure - .
Nation: USA.
Engine 2002 explodes violently during a test run due to a hydrogen leak. The MPTA test article sustains major structural damage due to overpressure of the heat shield support..

SAMSO awarded the Hughes Aircraft Company a $21.3 million contract to develop a microwave imager for the DMSP Block 5D-2 satellite. - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.
The imager would measure the intensity of precipitation over land and water, the temperature of the sea surface, the speed of the wind over the ocean, the thickness and extent of sea ice, and the moisture content of the soil..

Stationed at 14 deg W. Statsionar 4. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 14 deg W in 1979-1981; 90 deg E in 1981-1983 As of 26 August 2001 located at 59.72 deg E drifting at 0.012 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 8 located at 84.05E drifting at 0.107W degrees per day.

The Large Ballistic Recovery Vehicle (LBRV) was launched from Vandenberg AFB to Kwajalein lagoon on a Minuteman 1 booster. The purpose of the experiment was to recover the external shell of a Mark 12A reentry vehicle intact after reentry in order to assess the performance of staple-fiber heatshields. The LBRV was successfully

NASA had planned to use Skylab with the space shuttle. Plans for an additional Apollo mission to boost Skylab into a higher orbit for later use by the shuttle were not acted on, since NASA was confident that Skylab would stay in orbit until shuttle flights began in 1978 - 1979. But the shuttle was delayed, and faster atmospheric decay than expected resulted in Skylab crashing to earth before the first shuttle mission was flown. The media went into a frenzy over the event, and debris rained over a large swath of Australia. There was no damage and no injuries, but the publicity made NASA hyper-sensitive in ensuring that future heavy spacecraft were deorbited in a controlled manner.

A special working group with HQ USAF finished a concept of operations for the Consolidated Space Operations Center (CSOC). - .
CSOC would serve both the space shuttle program and the Air Force Satellite Control Facility, functioning as a Shuttle Operations and Planning Center and a Satellite Operations Center..

The Data Multiplexing System was declared operational. The system had been installed at various DMSP ground sites, and it allowed payload data and telemetry to be transmitted from one site to another. - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.

It also opened up a communication link between the Kaena Point Tracking Station, in Hawaii, and the Air Force Global Weather Central in Nebraska, thereby allowing the Global Weather Central to receive stored weather data from Hawaii as well as from Washington and Maine.

Magnavox and Rockwell International were awarded contracts for prototype operational models of Global Positioning System user equipment. The contracts were valued at $63.7 million and $68.1 million. - .
Spacecraft: Navstar.

Zenit-2M area survey photo reconnaissance satellite used for earth resources studies as part of 'Gektor-Priroda' project. Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

SAMSO's NATO III Program Office was abolished, bringing the NATO III program to an end. Three satellites had been built and launched during the program, which had cost a total of $79.1 million. - .
Spacecraft Bus: NATO.
Spacecraft: NATO 3.

The group was selected to provide shuttle manned spaceflight engineers to operate military payloads.. Qualifications: USAF, Navy, or Army officers with bachelor's degree in science or engineering; four years experience in flying or space-related activities. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. 13 were selected from 222 candidates. The existence of the group was secret until 1985.

1979 August 1 - .

Death of Louis G Dunn at Mountain Ranch, Calaveras, CA. - .
Nation: USA.
Related Persons: Dunn.
American engineer. At Ramo-Woolridge headed oversight of development of the Thor, Titan, Atlas, and Minuteman missiles for the USAF.

Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 91 deg W in 1979-1990 As of 2 September 2001 located at 7.26 deg W drifting at 1.139 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 158.25E drifting at 1.129W degrees per day.

Technology Development Corporation, a minority small business, was awarded a contract to upgrade the Ground Communications Network for the DSP program. - .
Spacecraft: DSP.
The basic contract was valued at $5,251 million, and it carried options valued at $8,555 million. This was the largest contract ever awarded under the federal government's Disadvantaged Business Program..

Zenit-2M area survey photo reconnaissance satellite used for earth resources studies as part of 'Gektor-Priroda' project. Nauka subsatellite 31KS jettisoned into independent orbit in the course of the mission. Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

Chemical Systems Division of United Technologies Corporation test fired a 5 segment solid rocket motor at its Coyote Test Facility at San Jose, California. - .
This was the first test of the motor, and it was entirely successful. The 5% segment motor was to be used with the new Titan III 34D launch vehicle..

A Minuteman III standard test missile (STM 18-W) was launched from Vandenberg AFB to the Kwajalein missile range. This was the last of ten Minuteman III test flights designed to verify Mark 12A design objectives and the first operational test and evaluation demonstration for the operational Mark 12A system. The test was partially successful.

Under Secretary of Defense William J. Perry decided that Teal Ruby would be_ built and flown on the space shuttle in November 1982. - .
His decision was made in response to earlier suggestions within DOD that the program be cancelled because of cost overruns..

1979 Sep - .

The first Dormant Inertial Navigation System (DINS) flight unit, built by the Avionics Division of Honeywell, Inc. - .
Spacecraft Bus: ABRES.
Spacecraft: amarv.
It was delivered to McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company for installation xn the second scheduled AMaRV flight test vehicle. DINS was a laser-gyro-based strapdown inertial navigation system intended for use on maneuvering reentry vehicles..

High resolution photo surveillance; film capsule; maneuverable; also performed earth resources tasks. Investigation of the natural resources of the earth in the interests of various branches of the national economy of the USSR and international cooperation.

The basic 37K design consisted of a 4.2 m diameter pressurised cylinder with a docking port at the forward end. It was not equipped with its own propulsion system. The original authorisation was for a total of eight 37K's of various configurations. Of these, only the 37K-E (Kvant module of Mir) and the 37KS (instrumentation module in Buran) would fly.

SAMSO signed a $24.1 million letter contract for two DMSP spacecraft (F-8 and F-9) and long lead parts for a third (F-10). - .
Spacecraft: DMSP Block 5D.
The contract incorporated the toughest negative incentives ever inserted into a spacecraft contract up to that time. It was structured in that manner in obedience to new procurement guidelines issued by the AFSC commander, General Slay..

The first of two secondary rocket flight tests designated HAVE LENT IV successfully demonstrated the use of aerosol masking dispensers as a penetration aids. The vehicle was a Sergeant-Hydac rocket launched from Barking Sands, Hawaii. Data collection was limited because of erratic behavior of the rocket. The mission was sponsored by ABRES.

A launch of the Multispectral Measurements Program (MSMP) at White Sands Missile Range in Nex Mexico was aborted 30 seconds before lift-off when a sensor falsely reported the nozzle was faulty. - .
The launch was postponed until the booster could be recertified..

Transmission of color and black-and-white USSR central television programmes to a network of receivers for collective use. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 99 deg E in 1979-1981 As of 4 September 2001 located at 52.52 deg E drifting at 0.007 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 4 located at 96.71E drifting at 0.048W degrees per day.

Testing of methods for comprehensive study of the oceans and the surface of the earth, and testing of automatic gathering of scientific information from experimental sea and land stations. Launched under the INTERCOSMOS programme by the Soviet Union toget her with the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the German Democratic Republic, the Hungarian People's Republic and the Socialist Republic of Romania.

Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 12 deg W in 1980-1981; 131 deg W in 1981-1983; 179 deg W in 1983; 175 deg E in 1983-1989;179 deg W in 1989-1993 As of 3 September 2001 located at 21.08 deg E drifting at 16.828 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 37.50W drifting at 16.828W degrees per day.

Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 66 deg E in 1980-1981; 12 deg W in 1981-1986; 179 deg W in 1986-1990; 174 deg E in 1990; 65 deg E in 1991-1994 As of 31 August 2001 located at 27.01 deg W drifting at 6.916 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 11 located at 50.79E drifting at 6.926W degrees per day.

The first completely successful firing of the orbiter's engines is completed Three engines are run from 100% to 70% thrust for 514 seconds. Engines 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 were to have been certified ready for flight in the first half on 1979. This involved each engine being given a 1.5 second start verification firing; a 100 second calibration firing; and a 520 second flight demonstration test. But continued failures resulted in multiple rebuilds of each engine to add required modifications. The result was a two-year delay to this schedule.

Launch vehicle test. Technological Capsule (CAT). ESA registration number: ESA/79/2. Principal mission of the technological capsule (with ballast), which was equipped with batteries having a lifetime of approximately 8 orbits, was to transmit back to earth technological data on the first developmental flight L01 of the ARIANE launch vehicle. When the batteries were exhausted, the capsule ended its radio transmissions, and it is now inoperative but still in orbit.